Blood For Blood
This is the sixth episode of Vale, season 5. Written by Rainy. Read, enjoy, & comment! '' '' ''Blood For Blood'' "Please say it's not true." Dewfrost sat in the recesses of the leader's den, as if hoping the shadows would swallow him up. He peered out at me with tired eyes, begging me to have better news. "Everyone's talking... but I won't believe it till it comes out of your own mouth." "Dewfrost..." "Tell me, Breezeflight." I take a deep breath. "Quailstar is dead." His face crumpled into a mask of pain and exhaustion. "And Duskwatcher killed her." "Yes. He tried to kill Lilyshade and I, but he and Quailstar toppled off the peak of High-Rock before he could." "And his body wasn't found." "That's right." Dewfrost swore furiously, the word reverberating off the enclosed space. "So our leader dies, but that killer cheats death for the second time." "He could still be dead," I tried, but I could hear the doubt in my own voice. "Did you know Quailstar was on her last life?" He nodded. "I should've had someone watching her at all times," he said, clearly angry with himself. "I usually did, but in all the celebration over the Order falling... Everyone was asleep and I didn't want to wake them. I should've watched her myself, but--" "Stop blaming yourself. This isn't your fault." My former mentor looked up at me, and I felt myself crumble under the warmth in his eyes. I felt the forgiveness flooding out of him; I had directly disobeyed him when I drew a line in the sand and tried to start a revolution, yet he was still there for me when I needed him. "It isn't your fault either, Breezeflight," he said gently, licking me on the ear. "I can see it in your eyes: you think it was because of you." "I should've done something," I said raggedly. "There was nothing you could've done." "I tried to save her, but Lilyshade stopped me." "She saved your life." "And I saved no one," I said bitterly. "What a hero." He regarded me thoughtfully. "You can't stop being a hero, Breezeflight. It's who you are. You will never stop being a hero--but even a hero can't save everyone. Life is full of battles, and we lose many of them. Sometimes it just happens to be the battle between life and death." I shook my head and changed the subject. "You're leader now." A frown creased his forehead. "The Clan doesn't want me. It's a bad omen, everything that's happened. Quailstar wasn't a leader for very long. It bids ill for my leadership." "Your leadership is going to be fine," I said firmly. "I know you, Dewfrost. You're what the Clan needs: someone dependable and loyal, who can be a rock in difficult times. You're a born leader, and no one knows it more than me; I was lucky enough to have the best mentor in the world." He laughed. "Flatterer." Then his face grew serious again. "Breezeflight, can I ask you something?" I scanned his face. "Uh, I'm not sure I want to hear this." "Will you be my deputy?" I stared at him in disbelief. "Dewfrost--I don't think that's a good idea." Confusion and disappointment twisted in his face. "What? Why? Breezeflight, I know you're a little younger than some other possible candidates, but you have more than proven that you care about the Clan and the cats in it. I couldn't ask for a better partner in guiding the Clan." "But don't you see how this looks, Dewfrost? I was your apprentice, and we're close. I'm one of two remaining witnesses from what happened to Quailstar, and half the Clan still doesn't even believe Duskwatcher is actually alive. It looks like a plot! It looks like you decided to kill off Quailstar and promised me the deputyship for doing it." Shocked, Dewfrost said, "Breezeflight, are you crazy? I would never--" I heard the hurt in his voice. "I know you would never do that, Dewfrost. But our Clanmates have seen so much pain that you can't even blame them for thinking that you would." "But what about Lilyshade? She can corroborate your story." Regretfully, I said, "You know there are still those who would disbelieve her. Or they'll say that she's covering for me because I helped her after what happened with Shinecloud." Dewfrost was still wearing a frown. "I don't believe you, Breezeflight. You're a coward." Stung and feeling like I'd been slapped in the face, I blinked at him in bewilderment. "What? Me?" "Those are all good reasons to refuse the deputyship, but that's not why you won't do it. This is still about you blaming yourself." There was no use denying it. "I don't deserve it," I whispered. "The Clan needs you. You can't walk away." "I will never walk away from SpringClan. But we need a better deputy, Dewfrost." "There's no one who would be a better one than you." Losing my patience, I snapped, "Then pick someone who would be just as good. I'm not doing it. I refuse your offer." As we looked at each other, I felt a chasm open up between us. I had just abandoned him, I realized. Left him to deal with the leadership alone. But I couldn't go back. I loved this Clan too much to let myself destroy it. When Dewfrost spoke again, his voice was cold. "I am going to get the Life-Rock and meet with StarClan. We have a lot to discuss. Good bye, Breezeflight." A note of sadness twinged within me, but if being shut out was the price I paid for my choice, I was willing to take it. I dipped my head at Dewfrost and backed out of the leader's den. The camp center was flooded with cats, despite the fact that it was well past midnight. Several cats streaked towards me when they saw me, bubbling with questions. I fended them off with one-word answers and made a beeline for my friends. When I reached Minkears, she immediately moved in front of me and snapped, "Leave her alone. She's got better things to worry about than having to answer a thousand of the same questions. Have a little dignity and respect for the gravity of the situation and shut your mouths." As the very offended-looking Nighthawk and Cherrynose walked away from us, I turned to Minkears and gave a small purr of gratitude. "Thanks." "Of course. I sensed you needed that." "You look shaken," said Specklenose. "I'd rather not talk about it." "That's fine," said Fire. "We already heard the whole story anyway." The cat sitting next to Minkears shifted, and I saw a blue-gray pelt flash into my line of vision. "I owe you an apology," Bluebird blurted. I began to back away. "We don't have to do this." "Yes we do. I absolutely lost it when you said Duskwatcher attacked you, and it's pretty obvious now that you were being completely honest. I was being blind and stupid." He glanced tentatively towards Minkears. I remembered the expression on his face when she'd gotten injured by the tree limb that killed Rabbitfur, how he had confessed to me in the medicine cat's den that he was terrified of losing her right after their fight, and sensed that this apology was as much for her benefit as for mine. "It's okay, Bluebird. I'm sorry it's true." He managed a small smile. "Yeah, well..." He trailed off, apparently unsure of what he'd intended to say. Minkears hesitated, then bumped her cheek to his, and his eyes lightened a trace. "Breezeflight," Dewfrost said sharply from behind me, and I spun to find him looking at us with a frantic expression on his face. "Actually, all of you. Come with me, into the leader's den." "Might be a bit of a crowd," Specklenose whispered dubiously to me. "You guys go ahead; I'll go find Cammy." Minkears, Bluebird, Fire and I trailed Dewfrost into the leader's den, where he had us cluster in the farthest corner. "The Life-Rock is gone," he said without preamble. "What?" I exclaimed, leaping to my paws. "It's gone again?" "I need to get my nine lives and my leader's name." Dewfrost looked distraught. "The Clan is already on the verge of panic." "We'll get it back," I said immediately. Giving me an incredulous look, Minkears said, "You know where it is?" "No, of course she doesn't. But I think we all know where to look. We have to find Viperstar." "That shouldn't be too hard. We just have to follow the tracks of practically the whole of GreenClan," said Bluebird, shrugging. "I doubt it'll be that easy," said Dewfrost. "I hate to ask this of you, especially at this hour, but--" "Of course we'll find it," I interrupted him. "You can't go; cats would start asking questions. We'll be back before you know it." Relief flooded his face. "Thank you." "You can always count on us." "Do you want me to send more cats with you?" "Four's plenty," said Bluebird. "Any more and we'll be too conspicuous." "But you might have to fight." "We can handle it," I assured him. Dewfrost nodded swiftly. "Right. I trust each one of you--but don't tell anyone else where you're going, not even your friend Specklenose." I nodded. "Done. Come on, guys." We sneaked out of the camp as stealthily as possible, not that anyone was paying us any attention anyway; most warriors were too busy gossiping to notice. The trail of GreenClan was easy to pick up, as Bluebird had predicted, but none of us expected the rest of our mission to be easy. Though it had been a tension-filled night with a marginal amount of sleep, adrenaline overcame my exhaustion, pumping my body full of hyperactive energy that sizzled in my veins. I was so jumpy that Fire made Minkears walk beside me, tired of me bumping into her when I flinched and stumbled at every crack of a twig. The sun was just beginning to rise when we hit the edge of SpringClan territory. Oddly enough, GreenClan hadn't gone to the end of our territory where High-Rock was; they had gone towards the other end, in the general direction of the Twolegplace. I recognized the territory, with the coarse, scrubby grass and hilly ground; it was where Ryan and I had met Aldereyes. "Strange. I thought they'd head for the plains behind High-Rock. There's no good cover out there, but there's even less here," said Minkears, frowning. "You don't know how far they went," I pointed out. "They might know a place we don't." "She's right. We know our own territory best, but we're sort of clueless when it comes to everything else." Shuddering, Minkears said, "I just hope they didn't go near Twolegplace. I never want to set foot there." I agreed. Twolegplace brought up too many bad thoughts. It reminded me of being there with Daisyheart, Ren, and Saori, and made my sorrow for Daisyheart spring up again with a vengeance that physically hurt. No matter how much time passed, no matter how close I was to thinking the ache might have dulled a bit, it never left. I missed her with all my heart, and I realized I always would; there would always be a piece of me missing. Twolegplace was also where I and Goldenburst said good-bye to Ivyrose, leaving her to live with Twolegs who could give her access to better healthcare than possible at the Clan. In short, too many reminders of those I had lost. I needn't have worried, though. The trail branched away from Twolegplace. "Scent's thicker here. They must've laid down to rest," observed Bluebird, circling a matted patch of grass. "Yeah... but the trail disappears after here. Can any of you guys pick it up again?" asked Fire, frowning. "That's so strange. We'll circle the area. Split up, pick a different radius so that we cover as far a range as we can. They didn't levitate off this patch of grass; there has to be scent somewhere." We worked in silence for about half an hour. The sun was turning the sky a fiery shade of orange by the time we reconvened at the flattened patch of grass, breathless and disheartened. "I don't get it. Where did they go? It's like they just disappeared." "We're missing something. Search again, but this time don't look for scent. Look for any anomalies. Study the ground, everything. We can't leave any stone unturned." Immediately, Minkears began turning over pebbles. I smirked at her. "So clever." She winked at me. "I try." We split up again. This time, it didn't take long before Bluebird called, "I think I found something!" He was standing over a small circular patch of grass, about wide enough for a cat to fit through, that was slightly lower than the rest of the surface, forming a shallow dent. "It gives under my paws," he said, pressing his forepaw to the surface. "I think it's hollow underneath." "Like a secret entrance to something?" asked Minkears doubtfully. "Worth a try." With one smooth kick, Fire sent her legs flying into the dent. It collapsed immediately, the dirt trickling down the tunnel that was now visible. "We shouldn't go down there," whispered Bluebird, looking frightened. "We've just alerted whoever's down there to our approach, and if all of GreenClan is waiting for us, we're dead meat." "I don't think anyone's down there. How could they have replaced the tunnel entrance? It was sealed." "Well, if GreenClan's not down there, what's the point of going?" "I don't know. But I am going," I announced. "I'll come with you," said Fire. She turned to Bluebird and Minkears. "You two stay up here and keep guard." Minkears looked sullen at being left behind, but she nodded. "Yell if you need help," she said seriously. "I will," I promised. "We'll be careful." I led the way down the tunnel, going in headfirst. This proved a very bad idea; it was a steep vertical fall, and I lost my balance and fell face-first onto the ground beneath. With my cheek smushed against the ground, I called up, "Lower yourself tail first." "Well, obviously," Fire returned. Seconds later, she landed beside me on all fours, having gracefully lowered herself down the tunnel. We were standing in a low-ceilinged chasm, a wider tunnel of sorts. It disappeared in darkness in front of us. Between the shadows and the heavy air, full of the smell of soggy earth and mildew, I felt claustrophobia ripple through me. I swallowed back my fear. "Let's go." Fire and I pressed close together; we had to, because the tunnel, though larger than the entrance, wasn't very wide after all. I was grateful for the contact; it was nice to have something solid holding me up. "Why are we really down here, Breezeflight? You wouldn't go down some random rabbit-hole. It's obvious that no one else has come down the entrance we took in a long time, and GreenClan's not down here." "I have a theory," I admitted. "No one's come down the entrance we took, but that doesn't mean there's not another entrance. If I wanted to pick a really good hiding spot for something, I'd pick somewhere with many entrances--and then when I passed by those entrances, I would stop by and make sure they were still intact and undisturbed--maybe under the excuse of having my Clan rest nearby." Fire tilted her head thoughtfully. "It's actually a really good theory," she said, sounding surprised. "But even if this is one of multiple paths to a hiding place of Viperstar's, it still doesn't explain why all traces of the entirety of GreenClan vanish aboveground. They obviously didn't go down this tunnel, and there didn't seem to be any other tunnels around... were there?" I shrugged. "Maybe Bluebird and Minkears can figure it out while we explore down here." A pause in conversation. Then, "Is it just me, or is the tunnel getting narrower?" I gulped. "I forgot something else. If I wanted to pick a really good hiding spot for something... I'd make sure there were obstacles." Gradually, the tunnel grew so narrow that I was practically pushed into Fire's ribcage. "This is ridiculous," she grunted, her face smashed against the left wall. "Only one of us can keep going." I squeezed forward and popped free. There was no room to even turn around and face her, but I called, "I'll keep going, is that okay?" "Nothing to change now," she said. "If I tried to pass you I'd squeeze you into the wall till you turned into jelly. But tell me if you need help, okay? I'll try to follow behind as closely as possible." "Okay," I agreed. The tunnel continued to get more oppressive as I went further down. The ground underfoot was studded with sharp rocks, and there was something slimy and foul-smelling on the walls. But nothing compared to what I saw up ahead. Brambles. The entire tunnel had been filled with them. "You've got to be kidding," I snarled. "You okay?" Fire's voice echoed towards me from somewhere behind me. "I'm about to not be." There had to be a way around this. What if Viperstar had needed a quick way to get down the tunnel? He wouldn't have time to forge his way through a thicket of brambles. Unfortunately, if there was a way to bypass this, I wasn't seeing it. I sucked in a breath of air and plunged into the mess. It felt like a million kits were digging their tiny, needle-sharp claws into my pelt. I stifled a cry of pain, trying to make myself as small as possible as I searched for a gap between the angry thorns, which seemed determined to grate against every patch of exposed pelt they could find. I wriggled through as quickly as possible, but I was bleeding and sore by the time I got out. On the other side, I saw something that made me want to turn around and run straight back into the brambles. Bones. They were embedded into the ground, sticking up to act as spikes. Some were small enough to graze a cat's underbelly; others were so tall they reached the ceiling, forming bars I would have to squeeze past. Each one was carefully placed so that in order to avoid one of these larger bars, I would have to risk tearing myself open on one of the smaller ones. What kind of bones are they? I wondered, feeling sick to my stomach. Pushing aside the thought, I stepped forward, weaving carefully through the maze of death. I managed to get through with minimal damage, but I was shaking all over by the time I finished. "That was horrible," I whispered, and the echo of my own voice startled me. From far away, I heard Fire's muffled voice call, "I am not going through these brambles!" "I totally get you!" I yelled back, then realized I'd better lower my voice before I caused a cave-in. Something glinted in the darkness up ahead. My heartbeat sped up. Could it be? It was. The Life-Rock lay nestled atop a pile of large stones, wedged tightly against the ceiling of the tunnel--''oh no.'' I knew in an instant what would happen when I removed the Life-Rock. The ceiling would cave in. Immediately, I began looking for an escape route. Viperstar had to have one, for when he himself came down here. It was too dark to see, even with the soft glow emanating from the Life-Rock, so I used my paws, shuffling about on the earthen floor. I got a mouthful of dirt and bugs for my effort. There was no sign of anything--a knob, a switch, a secret door--that could lead out. The only remaining option was to just go for it, and hope that the escape route would reveal itself at the top of the rock pile. I knew this was a really risky plan. When I removed the Life-Rock, I would only have a split second to find the out, if it even existed. "FIRE!" I bellowed as loudly as I could, figuring it didn't matter much now since I was about to cause a cave-in myself. "GET OUT OF HERE!" There was no answer. I didn't know if she'd heard me or not, but I waited a few minutes to give her time to go back out the tunnel. The ceiling was shaking overhead, and I realized I was running out of time. Clever, I realized. Even if an intruder got this far, they couldn't hide what they'd done. There was no way to get at the Life-Rock without collapsing the entire tunnel, which meant Viperstar would know instantaneously. And if the intruder didn't manage to find the exit, if there even was one, he would find their crushed body in the rubble, their dead jaws carefully and conveniently guarding his precious Life-Rock. I wasn't keen to end up like that, but I had put this off too long. Hoping desperately that Fire had gotten my warning, I gathered my haunches beneath me and coiled my muscles. "Now or never," I muttered, and I launched myself up the rock-pile. I seized the Life-Rock in my teeth and pulled. Immediately, the tunnel groaned in protest and began to come unassembled. A clod of dirt hit me in the right cheek, and something else hit me in the left, something softer. Without thinking, I desperately swung towards it. My claws landed in a fiber material. A vine. Positioned so it would drop down as the earth beneath fell away. Of course. Genius. But I could already feel it beginning to tear. With all my strength, I pulled myself up towards the light, away from the debri and dust beneath me. Coughing and gagging, I sprawled out on solid ground--but it wasn't solid, fox-dung, it was also beginning to collapse. Jaws firmly clamped over the Life-Rock, I began to run, but the ground kept falling away beneath my paws. I'm going the wrong direction, I realized. I'm tracing back over the tunnel as its caving in. I made a sharp right, putting on a sudden burst of speed, and felt steadier earth beneath my paws. I heard someone call my name, and when I reopened my eyes--which was a hard task, since they were caked with dust, and the right one was almost swollen shut where a bramble had poked it--I saw Fire, Minkears, and Bluebird bent over me. "You were right," said Fire without ceremony. "Minkears and Bluebird found an underground chamber where GreenClan went. But it has like twenty different tunnels branching out, and each one was marked with GreenClan scent. We don't know if they're false leads or if the Clan did split up, but we don't have time to check." "Why not?" "Hello? You just collapsed that tunnel. Viperstar will be here any second. We've got to take the Life-Rock and run." I nodded, stumbling to my feet. I handed off the Life-Rock to Minkears, and the four of us bolted. Despite the fact that I was bone-tired and sick with fear and paranoia after being trapped in that horrible tunnel, I couldn't help but analytically look at the situation. I had learned something valuable about the way Viperstar's mind worked. He was intelligent beyond belief, which made him a lot more dangerous than just a common brute hungering for power. Outpowering him was one thing... outsmarting him would be a completely different one. His message in the tunnel was clear; for everything he gave, he took something in return. Blood for blood. He would not yield anything without sacrifice, and I was terrified of how large a one he would demand. Whatever ultimate goal he had in mind, we had to figure it out quickly. Otherwise, we didn't stand a chance. The End Category:Vale